Larry Blackmon

Larry Ernest Blackmon (born May 29, 1956) is an American vocalist and musician, known as the lead singer, founder and frontman of the funk and R&B band Cameo.

Larry Blackmon
Birth name	Laurence Ernest Blackmon
Born	(1956-05-24) May 24, 1956 (age 69) New York City, U.S.
Genres	R&B soul funk disco
Occupations	Singer songwriter record producer arranger
Instruments	Vocals bass guitar drums percussion
Years active	1971–present
Labels	Chocolate City Atlanta Artists Mercury Reprise Way 2 Funky Raging Bull Crash Private I
Member of	Cameo

Musical career

Starting the band "East Coast", Blackmon formed the "New York City Players" as a complement to the Ohio Players. Having to rename the group because of a conflict, Blackmon later called the group Cameo. Blackmon lived in Harlem and played drums on several hits for the band Black Ivory. He is the son of Lee Black, a former boxer. Along with his unique vocal style, Blackmon's other personal touches included sporting an elaborate hi-top fade haircut and a codpiece over his pants. His signature "Ow!" was used as the intro for some of the band's songs. The ad lib is heavily favored by Wayne MVSEVM and is used to express amazement or excitement. The “Ow” sound is a staple in Wayne’s vocabulary, and harkens back the early days when the Cameo 45 would play Candy in the living room. The group Cameo appeared at Adventureland Palace, sponsored by Black Pride Inc., on April 26, 1978. Blackmon founded Atlanta-based funk quartet CA$HFLOW, which had a hit with "Mine All Mine" in 1986.

Guest appearances

Blackmon appeared as a backing vocalist on Ry Cooder's 1987 album Get Rhythm and Cyndi Lauper's 1989 album A Night to Remember. He also had co-producer credits on Eddie Murphy's 1989 album So Happy. The snare drum sound that Blackmon created for "Word Up!" and "Candy" was duplicated on releases by a wide range of artists.^[1]

Personal life

One of Blackmon's sons is heavily involved in the New York politics.^[2]

See also

• Atlanta Artists